Overnight oats with yogurt and no milk are so thick, creamy and incredibly simple to make. These overnight oats without milk only take 2 minutes of prep time and 4 main ingredients. Customize with your favorite toppings to make these so satisfying.

Why you will love this recipe

• Easy to make – making overnight oats with yogurt instead of milk is so easy, you won’t believe how creamy these overnight oats turn out by using yogurt. Stir the ingredients together at night, put them in the fridge and enjoy them in the morning with your favorite toppings.
• Simple ingredients – these overnight oats without milk have just 4 main ingredients – oats, chia seeds, yogurt and maple syrup. You likely have all these ingredients in your kitchen right now! You can make these dairy free, vegan, gluten free by using dairy free yogurt and gluten free oats.
• Customizable – change up the flavor of these overnight oats by changing up the toppings or add in ingredients! Check out all the fun flavor combinations below!

Ingredients

• Rolled oats – rolled oats (sometimes called old fashion oats) are the best oats to use for overnight oats. The oats get soft and chewy when they soak overnight in yogurt. Quick oats can be used in a pinch but the texture of the rolled oats is best!
• Chia seeds – chia seeds absorb liquid and are a great source of fiber and healthy fats. They help to create the texture of the overnight oats that everyone loves. If you don’t love chia seeds because they can get stuck in your teeth, try chia protein (sometimes called ground chia seeds).
• Yogurt – use dairy free yogurt (I really love cashew yogurt) or regular yogurt. You can make these overnight oats without milk even higher in protein by using Greek yogurt or Greek style yogurt.
• Maple syrup – the maple syrup helps to sweeten the oats just a bit. If you really love the tanginess of yogurt, you can omit the maple syrup. If you like slightly sweeter oatmeal, you can use a little more maple syrup. You can also use honey, or fruit for sweetness.

How to make overnight oats with yogurt, no milk

In a jar or container (with a tight fitting lid) add the oats, chia seeds, yogurt and maple syrup. Stir well and add the lid.

Put the oats in the fridge overnight (for at least 4 hours).

Right before enjoying, stir the oatmeal again and add more yogurt (or water or milk) if needed if you find the oats are too thick. Add your favorite mix in’s or toppings and enjoy.

Top tips

• If you hate chia seeds because they can sometimes get stuck in your teeth, I recommend using chia protein (ground chia seeds) instead of chia seeds.
• If you love the tang of yogurt, you can omit the maple syrup, but I really love the additional hint of sweetness the maple syrup provides. You can also use fruit to help sweeten the oats if you want to omit the maple syrup.
• The oats get softer as they sit in the fridge overnight, so the longer they sit, the softer they get.
• Change up the flavor by changing up the add-in ingredients. You will never get bored of coming up with new flavor combination!
• Make a few at a time to prep for the week. You can keep these overnight oats with yogurt in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Add-in ingredients

• Fresh fruit – add blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, sliced cherries, sliced banana, chopped mango, pineapple, peaches, apples, pears
• Dried fruit – raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, chopped pitted dates
• Nuts: Add chopped almonds, pecans, cashews, pistachios, walnuts
• Seeds: Add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
• Nut butter: Almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, sunbutter, tahini, coconut butter
• Chocolate chips, cacao powder or cacao nibs
• Coconut flakes
• Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, ground ginger
• Jam or jelly – add a tablespoon or two of your favorite jam or jelly to add so much flavor.
• Protein – add in some protein powder, hemp hearts or peanut powder for protein
• Apple butter
• Molasses

Flavor variations for overnight oats without milk

• Chunky monkey – Add sliced banana, chopped walnuts and a few chocolate chips
• Peanut butter and jelly – Add 1 tablespoon peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of strawberry jelly or a few fresh strawberries
• Chocolate Raspberry – add 1/2 teaspoon cacao powder and 2-3 tablespoons of raspberries
• Blueberry almond – add 1 tablespoon almond butter and 1/4 cup blueberries
• Lemon blueberry – add the zest and juice of half a lemon and 1/4 cup of blueberries
• Gingerbread – add in 1 tablespoon molasses, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger
• Banana bread – add 1/2 a banana, 1-2 tablespoons chopped pecans, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips
• Birthday cake – add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2-3 strawberries, sliced thin and as many sprinkles as you want
• Pumpkin pie – add 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and an additional 1 tablespoon maple syrup.

Common questions

What are overnight oats?

Overnight oats are made by soaking oats in liquid (usually milk but this recipe uses yogurt, no milk) overnight to soften the oats.

By soaking the oats overnight, it creates a thick and creamy oatmeal that is ready to enjoy, no cooking needed. Note: It’s thought that soaking the oats can help make them easier to digest, which is a great reason to try them out!

Can overnight oats be heated?

While you can heat overnight oats up in the microwave, I suggest you keep this recipe cold, since the yogurt really is best cold. If you want to make overnight oats that can be reheated in the microwave, I suggest using a recipe that uses dairy free milk or water as the base instead.

What liquid can be used to make overnight oats?

The oats need to soak in liquid to soften overnight. Some great options include:

• Dairy free milk or regular milk
• Canned coconut milk (this will make a really thick and creamy overnight oats recipe)
• Yogurt (regular or Greek style yogurt)
• Water – water can be used in a pinch but won’t create a creamy texture. I suggest adding some protein powder if you will be using water.

Do you have to soak oats?

It is not necessary to soak oats (you can simply heat them with water or milk to make oatmeal), soaking oats helps to create a super thick and creamy oatmeal that requires absolutely no cooking time.

Soaking oats makes the process of making oatmeal almost 100% hand’s free, as the fridge really does the work for you.

Preparing overnight oats may have an additional benefit of making the oats easier to digest, as it’s thought that soaking the oats helps to reduce the phytic acid in the oats (which can make oats harder to digest).

What are the best oats to use for overnight oats

I recommend using rolled oats (sometimes called old fashioned oats) for overnight oats. The oats get soft and chewy after soaking overnight and are the perfect consistency. Quick oats (which are rolled oats that are cut into small pieces) can be used in a pinch but don’t create quite the same consistency.

Storing leftovers

Fridge: Store these overnight oats with yogurt in the fridge in a well sealed container for up to 3 days.

Freezer: You can freeze overnight oats for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Wait to add any of the fresh toppings until after defrosting the oats. Be sure to defrost the overnight oats with yogurt in the fridge overnight before enjoying with toppings.

Substitutions

• Rolled oats – you can also use quick oats instead of rolled oats or you can also use cooked quinoa (about ¾ -1 cup cooked quinoa) in place of the oats. The quinoa won’t soak up as much of the liquid but the end product will still be delicious.
• Yogurt – use your favorite yogurt here. You can use dairy free yogurt or regular yogurt for this recipe. If you don’t have yogurt on hand, you can use dairy free milk.
• Chia seeds – chia seeds help to make the overnight oats even more filling. You can use ground chia seeds (sometimes called chia protein) if you don’t love the texture of chia seeds. If you don’t have chia seeds, you can simply omit them.
• Maple syrup – use honey, date syrup, agave nectar or your favorite sweetener here in place of the maple syrup. You could also choose to sweeten this with fruit in place of the maple syrup if you want this to be slightly less sweet.

If you love this recipe, you should try

Peach Overnight Oats

Mocha Overnight Oats

Air Fryer Oatmeal

High Protein Oatmeal